An interview with Keith Daniel and William Elmore You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends… You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and [...]Read More
Our Journey Toward Social Enterprise
When I think about the thousands of families in my city of Fresno that are affected by unemployment and the cycles of poverty entrenched in our systems, I reflect on Nobel Peace Prize recipient Mohammad Yunus’ famous words. Poverty is not created by poor people but by the system we have built, the [...]Read More
The Liminal Space
It had already been a long day at work in Akron, Ohio, when part of our staff gathered together in the back room of the Front Porch building for a strategic planning meeting. Though our days had all looked different, all of us had been embodying our mission at South Street Ministries: “Unlikely [...]Read More
Listen to their Stories: A Social Worker’s Perspective
Dear Friends and Family, Thank you for taking a moment to read a short blog about why I am choosing to walk El Camino with the Christian Community Development Association (CCDA) from August 26th to August 31st (Most people are walking from Aug 20th-August 31st, but I could not get that much [...]Read More
The Beautiful Struggle of CCD Ministry in NW Pasadena
“CCDA raised me,” Florence Annang responded quickly when asked how she got involved in CCD ministry. Florence was first introduced to CCDA through Dr. John Perkins, when she began working with him at Harambee Ministries in Pasadena, CA. Through her work at Harambee, Florence recognized the [...]Read More
CornerStone Initiative leads the way in listening, empowering in Huntsville, AL
Patty Lowe, executive director of the CornerStone Initiative, prefers to calls herself “lead listener” of the organization. She is committed to setting an example of listening and empowerment that is so central to this young community development organization’s roots. The CornerStone Initiative was [...]Read More
Juvenile Justice System
Our nation needs to have a serious conversation about the state of our juvenile justice system. Like our broader criminal justice system, it is broken and riddled with racial and class biases. However, unlike our broader criminal justice system, very few people are talking about and illuminating the [...]Read More
Advance Memphis, transforming a neighborhood through economic revitalization
In 1999, the 38126 zip code of the Clearborne/Foote neighborhood of South Memphis was named the 3rd poorest urban zip code in the United States. That same year, Steve Nash started Advance Memphis, seeking to bring economic revitalization to the community through job opportunities and resources in [...]Read More